Street sign



S. WRIGHT Sept. 25, 1934,

STREET SIGN Filed Nov. 27, 1935 2 Sheets-=Sheet l S. WRIGHT Sept. 25, 1934.

STREET S IGN Filed Nov. 27, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 25, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

1,974,998 STREET SIGN Sidney Wright, Brooklyn,- N. Y. Application November 27, 1933, 'Serial No. 699,961

9 Claims. (01. 40-145) 9 This invention relates to street signs adapted for use at intersecting streets. A sign holder for this purpose usually consists of two frames arranged back to back and secured together by bolts, and two such holders are arranged one above the other upon a suitable staff, the holders being independently adjustable about the axis of the staff. For securing the frames of each holder together and for attaching them to the staff quite 0 a number of bolts are required. By means of my invention, the bolts referred to are rendered unnecessary.

In accordance with my invention each sign holder is cast in a single piece and comprises oppositely bowed frames united at their ends and having a slot at each end through which sign plates may be inserted endwise into the holder. Shoulders are provided in the holder to confine the edges of the plates and when the holder is 0 placed upon the staff, the latter extends between the plates and presses them against the frames and within the recesses formed by the shoulders. The staff is cylindrical and provided with a regular polygonal seat, preferably square, for

5 supporting a sign holder and each sign holder has on its upper central portion a seat corresponding in shape and size to the seat on the staff, and has on its lower central portion a seat and downwardly projecting pairs of lugs at opposite sides 130 of the latter seat, the lugs of each pair adapted to engage one side, or two adjacent sides, of the seat on the staffer ofthe upper seat on a similar sign holder. The seats on each holder have alined openings to receive the staff. The arrangement is such that the lower sign holder maybe set in numerous interlocking positions with respect to the staff and the upper sign holder may be set in the same number of interlocking positions with respect to the lower holder.

The details of the invention will be clear from the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of two sign holders embodying my invention, arranged at a right 1 angle to one another upon a supporting staff;

Fig. 2 is an inverted perspective view of the lower central part of one of the sign holders; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal verticalsection through one of the sign holders, on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig.3;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. '3;

Fig. 6 is a vertical section through the central parts of the sign holders shown in Fig. 1, the

supporting staff being. shown in side elevation;

Fig. '7 is a section on the. line 7-7 of Fig. 6, the lower sign holder being shown in one position in full lines and in anotherposition in dotted lines; l

Fig. 8 is a similar View showing the lower sign holder arranged at an angle of 45 to the position of the holder shown in Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a perspective viewof the lower part of the staff and "the bell which supports the same;

Fig. 10 is asimilar view showing the supporting staff associated with a clamping member for clamping it to a post, and,

Fig. 11 is .-a viewsimilar to Fig. 8, showing a :sign holder applied to *an octagonal seat.

.Referring to Figs. 1 and :6 of the drawings, A and A? indicate two sign holders which are identical in structure, mounted upon a staff B, which latter has at its lower end a threaded connection with a coupling C by which it may be attached to a suitable supporting bracket D. The staff, which is made in a .single piece, has near its lower :end a square .seat .1, and immediately over the seat is formed a cylindrical boss 2 which is of smaller diameter than the width of the seat and serves as a bearing for the lower part of the lower sign holder, which rests upon said seat, as hereinafter described. Midway of the staff another bearing 3 is formed and near the top of the staff still another bearing 4 is provided, all of these bearings being of the same diameter. Between the bearings 2 and 3 are spacedcylindrical bosses 5 and v6 for holding the sign plates in thelower .holder apart and in their positions in the sign frames, as hereinafter explained, and between the bearings 3 and 4 are similar spaced-bosses .forholding the sign plates in the upper-sigmholder-apart and in their respective positions in the upper sign frames. Above the uppermost bearing-4, the staff has a threaded portion;9 -ada pted to receive a clamping nut 10 by means of which the sign holders are clamped together and-against the seat 1 on the staff.

Where the staff is to be mounted upon a bracket, a suitable coupling member 0 maybe employed for connecting it to the bracket; but

where [the staff is tobe mounted upon a post, a clamp, .such as shown at in Fig. 10, may be used. In the latter case,'the seat -1 may be made integral with a part 11 of the clamp.

numerals indicate similar parts on both sign iholders.

, h sign holder is composed of asingle cast- 1.10

ing and comprises two oppositely bowed oblong sign frames a, a, each frame consisting of upper and lower parallel bars 12 and 13 connected at their ends by upright end pieces 14. The frames of each holder are connected together at their ends in such a way as to provide a vertical slot 15 in each end of the holder through which the sign plates 8 may be inserted into the space between the frames, as indicated in dotted lines, Figs. 3 and 5. Thus, the ends of the lower bars are connected by short horizontal webs 16 and by short vertical webs 17 projecting above the horizontal webs, and the slots extend from the latter webs to bridge pieces 18 which connect the ends of the upper bars and the uprights 14. These bridge pieces are slightly above the level. of the upper bars, as shown. When the sign plates are pushed through one of the slots into the space between the frames, if the holder is in horizontal position the ends of the plates will rest on the horizontal webs l6,as indicated in Figs. 3 to 6, inclusive, and the' jvertical webs 17 will prevent the plates from being moved endwise. The various bars composing the frames are L-shaped in cross-section, in order to provide practically continuous shoulders for confining the edges of the sign plates. Thus, as shown in Fig. 4, the upper bars 12 have inwardly turned flanges 12 and the lower bars 13 have inwardly turned flanges 13 and, as shown in Fig. 5, the upright bars 14 have inwardly turned flanges 14 and the sign plates, when bowed outward against the frames, fit in the recesses formed by these flanges, the lower edges of the plates, however, resting upon the hori- 35 zontal webs 16 at the ends of the frames.

The upper bars of each frame are connected at their central portions by an integral square block 19 which projects a short distance above the bars and has a flat upper surface and a central opening 20 through which the staff may extend. This block forms a seat adapted to be engaged by the clamping nut 10 on the staff or by a seat of similar dimensions on the under side of another frame. The lower bars of the frame are connected at their central portions by a downwardly projecting seat 21, Figs. 1, 2 and 6, of substantially the same dimensions as the upper seat 19 and having a central opening 22 in alinement with the opening 20, for receiving the staff. At opposite sides of the seat 21 are pairs of downwardly projecting lugs 2323, adapted to engage opposite sides of a seat 19 on the top of a lower holder or to engage opposite sides of the square seat 1 on the staff, as will be evident from an inspection of Figs. 1 and '7. The lugs of each pair are spaced apart so that they may engage adjacent sides of a seat, as illustrated in Fig. 8, and thus the lower sign holder may be set on the seat 1 in eight different interlocking positions and likewise the upper sign holder may be set in eight different interlocking positions on the seat 19 of the lower sign holder.

In assembling the parts, two sign plates are pushed into a sign holder, as A, through one of the slots in its ends. The operator then, with his fingers, bows the central portions of the plates outwardly in opposite directions against the frames, and the holder is then passed downwardly over the staff until the seat 21 on the holder rests against the seat 1 on the staff. In this positionthe bearings 2 and 3 fit within the openings in the seats of the holder and the cylindrical bosses 5 and 6 bear against the plates and hold them in their bowed form against the upper and lower'bars of the frames and within the recesses formed by the shoulders within the frame. Another holder, such as A, after sign plates have been inserted therein, is then applied to the staff in the same manner. The seat 21 on the upper holder will then rest on the seat 19 of the lower holder and the bearings 3 and 4 will fit within the openings in these seats. The bosses '7 and 8 will hold the plates s of the upper holder against the side bars and within the recesses formed by the internal shoulders in the frames. The lugs on the lower holder interlock with the seat 1 on the staff and the lugs on the lower seat of the upper holder interlock with the seat 19 at the top of the lower holder,- and, as previously explained, the holders may be set in eight different positions with respect to one another and the lower holder may be set in eight different positions with respect to the seat on the staif. When the clamping nut 10 is applied to the staff, the two holders will be clamped between the nut and the seat on the lower end of the staff.

In Fig. 7, the lower holder A is shown in full lines with the pairs of lugs which depend from its lower seat engaging parallel sides of the seat 1 and the holder is shown in dotted lines with the pairs of lugs engaging the other parallel sides of the seat 1. In Fig. 8, the holder is shown with the lugs of each pair engaging adjacent sides of the seat 1, the spacing of the lugs thus permitting the holder to be set in eight different positions wherein the lugs will interlock with a square seat.

The eight adjustments made possible by the use of the square seats and spaced lugs are sufficient for all practical purposes. but if a greater number of adjustments are desired, the seat on the staff may be made octagonal in shape, as shown in dotted lines at 1 in Fig. 11, and the pairs of lugs 23 on the holder will engage parallel sides of the seat in eight positions of the holder. The lugs of each pair will be spaced so that they will engage adjacent sides of the seat in eight intermediate positions of the holder. The seats on the topsof the holders will, of course, be octagonal in shape, if the seat on the staff is octagonal, and the upper holder will have sixteen positions of adjustment with respect to the lower holder.v I

Instead of making the staff with bosses and bearings of equal diameter as shown and described, the staff may obviously be of the same diameter throughout, either solid or tubular. For a solid staff, however, the staff is preferably made as shown, with the bosses and bearings because of a saving in weight and metal.

What I claim is:

1. A sign holder comprising two opposed frames, connected together, a polygonal seat on the upper bars of the frames at their central portions, said seat having its opposite sides parallel, a seat on the lower bars of the frames at their central portions, said seats having alined openings to receive a supporting staff, and pairs of downwardly-projecting spaced lugs at opposite sides of the latter seat, the lugs of each pair adapted to engage one side, or two adjacent sides, of the upper seat on a similar sign holder.

2. A sign holder comprising two opposed frames, connected together, a square seat on the upper bars of the frames at their central portions, a seat on the lower bars of the frames at their central portions, said seats having alined openings to receive a supporting staff, and downwardly-projecting spaced lugs at opposite sides of the latter seat, the lugs of each pair adapted llllil to engage one side, or two adjacent sides, of the upper seat on a similar sign holder.

3. The combination with a supporting staff having a polygonal seat the opposite sides of which are parallel, of sign holders adapted to be interchangeably mounted upon said staff, each holder comprising two opposed frames, connected together, a polygonal seat on the upper bars of the frames, at their central portions, said latter seat having substantially the same dimensions as the seat on the staif, a seat on the lower bars of the frames, the seats on the holder having alined openings to receive the staif, and pairs of downwardly-proiecting spaced lugs at opposite sides of the seat on the lower bars, the lugs of each pair adapted to engage one side, or two adjacent sides, of the seat on the staff or of the upper seat of a similar sign holder.

4. The combination with a supporting staff having a square seat, of sign holders adapted to be interchangeably mounted upon said staff, each holder comprising two opposed frames, connected together, a square seat on the upper bars of the frames at their central portions, a seat on the lower bars of the frames, the seats on the holder having alined openings to receive the staff, and pairs of downwardly-projecting spaced lugs at opposite sides of the seat on the lower bars, the lugs of each pair adapted to engage one side, or two adjacent sides, of the seat on the staff or of the upper seat of a similar sign holder.

5. A street sign holder comprising two oppositely bowed frames connected at their ends and having a slot at one end through which sign plates may be inserted endwise into the holder and having supports between the frames and below the slot for supporting the ends of the plates.

6. A street sign holder comprising two oppositely bowed frames connected at their ends and having a slot at each end through which sign plates may be inserted endwise into the holder and having supports between the frames and below the slots for supporting the ends of the plates.

7. A street sign holder comprising two oppositely bowed frames integrally connected at their ends and having a slot at each end through which sign plates may be inserted. endwise into the holder and having supports between the frames for supporting the ends of the plates, the bars of the frames having internal shoulders for confining the edges of the plates when the latter are bowed outwardly against the frames.

8. A one-piece sign holder comprising two oppositely bowed frames connected at their ends and having a slot at each end through which sign plates may be inserted endwise into the holder, a seat connecting the upper bars of the frame at their central portions and a seat connecting the lower bars of the frame together at their central portions, said seats having alined openings to receive a supporting staff, and lugs extending downwardly from opposite sides of the lower seat.

9. A one-piece sign holder comprising two oppositely bowed frames connected at their ends and having a slot at each end through which sign plates may be inserted endwise into the holder, 5. square seat connecting the upper bars of the frame at their central portions and a seat connecting the lower bars of the frame together at their central portions, said seats having alined openings to receive a supporting staff, and pairs of lugs extending downwardly from opposite sides of the lower seat, the lugs of each pair spaced apart and adapted to engage one side or adjacent sides of an upper seat on a similar holder.

SIDNEY WRIGHT. 

